Chapter 2 - Health and Diseases
1. Distinguish between – Infectious and non-infectious diseases.
Ans:
| Infectious diseases | Non-infectious diseases |
|---|---|
(i) They are spread by contaminated air, water, food, blood, body fluids, or vectors. | (i) These diseases arise in the human body itself due to certain reasons (intrinsic factors).
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(ii) They occur due to infectious agents that enter the human body. | (ii) They do not occur through infections or body contact with infected individuals.
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(iii) The transmission of such diseases requires direct contact with an infectious agent. | (iii) Such diseases are generally not transmitted; however, in the case of hereditary diseases, they may be transmitted from parents to offspring.
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(iv) Community hygiene and cleanliness can reduce the risk of contracting such diseases. | (iv) Lifestyle changes like physical exercise and food habits can reduce the risk of some of these diseases.
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(v) For example: Common cold, flu, dengue, etc. | (v) For example: Diabetes, heart diseases, cancer, etc.
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2. Identify the odd term.
a. Malaria, hepatitis, elephantiasis, dengue.
Ans: Hepatitis
Reason – Hepatitis is caused by a virus spread through contaminated water or blood, whereas the rest are caused by parasites / virus spread through mosquito vectors.
b. Plague, AIDS, cholera, T.B.
Ans: AIDS
Reason – AIDS is caused by a virus (HIV), whereas the rest are caused by bacterial pathogens.
3. Answer in one to two sentences.
a. Which are various media of spreading infectious diseases?
Ans: The various media and modes of spreading infectious diseases are contaminated air, water, food, blood, and other body fluids, or vectors like insects and other animals.
b. Give the names of five non-infectious diseases other than given in the lesson.
Ans: Some non-infectious diseases are arthritis, asthma, cataract, Alzheimer’s disease, cystic fibrosis, etc.
c. Which are the main reasons for diabetes and heart diseases?
Ans:
Reason for diabetes are as follows:
(i) Hereditary factors
(ii) Obesity
(iii) Lack of physical exercise
(iv) Mental stress
(v) Improper diet
Reasons for heart diseases are as follows:
(i) Alcoholism
(ii) Diabetes
(iii) Hypertension
(iv) Obesity
(v) Lack of physical exercise
(vi) Mental stress
(vii) Anxiety
(viii) Improper diet
4. What can be achieved / can be prevented?
a. Drinking boiled and filtered water.
Ans: It can help prevent infectious diseases like cholera, hepatitis, dysentery, typhoid, etc. that are spread through contaminated water. Boiling water kills these disease-causing pathogens. Filtering water prevents contamination by certain disease-causing protozoa and nematodes.
b. Avoiding smoking and alcoholism.
Ans: It is a lifestyle choice and can help reduce the risk of certain health problems like cancer, heart disease, liver failure, diabetes, etc. It can also reduce the frequency of illnesses in a person by keeping the immune system strong enough to resist minor infectious diseases.
c. Regular balanced diet and exercise.
Ans: It can prevent non-infectious diseases like diabetes, certain cancers, heart diseases, etc. It can also reduce the frequency with which a person falls ill and keep the immune system strong enough to resist minor infectious diseases.
d. Proper checking of blood before blood donation.
Ans: It can help prevent the spread of infectious diseases like AIDS, Hepatitis, etc. that occur through transfusions using infected blood. Blood also needs to be checked with respect to compatibility between the donor’s blood and the recipient’s blood in order to avoid complications.
5. Read the passage and answer the questions.
Master ‘X’ is a 3-year-old child. He is living with his family in a slum. A public toilet is present near his house. His father is a drunkard. His mother does not know the importance of a balanced diet.
a. Master ‘X’ can suffer from different possible diseases in above conditions?
Ans: The house of Master X, as given, is near the toilet, and he lives in a slum area. There are chances that there is less cleanliness in that area. Therefore, he may suffer from diseases like salmonellosis, shigellosis, diarrhoea, trachoma, gastroenteritis, giardiasis, tapeworm infection, and threadworm infection.
b. How will you help him and his family in this situation?
Ans: The family needs to be made aware of the cleanliness in and around their houses. They should be taught the importance of a balanced diet for them and their child. Since the father is a drunkard, he needs counselling and treatment to get rid of the habit of alcoholism.
c. Which disease can occur to the father of master ‘X’?
Ans: The father of Master X is a drunkard, which means he might suffer from diseases such as heart diseases, liver cirrhosis, ulcers and gastrointestinal problems, brain damage, etc.
6. Give the preventive measures of following diseases.
a. Dengue.
Ans:
(i) Remove mosquito habitats (eliminate standing water, drain pools, empty rain barrels, fit lids or covers on water containers, etc.).
(ii) Use pesticides to control the population of mosquito vectors.
(iii) Use structural barriers to cover doors, windows, bed nets, etc., to prevent exposure to mosquitoes.
(iv) Avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes by wearing long-sleeved clothes, using mosquito repellents, etc.
b. Cancer.
Ans: 30–50% of all cancer cases are preventable. Some measures to prevent cancer include:
(i) Timely or regular screening for cancer in high-risk patients This can help gain better control of the tumor by taking timely action.
(ii) Taking vaccinations available for certain cancers like liver cancer and cervical cancer to reduce the risk of developing these cancers.
(iii) Adopting healthy lifestyle choices like reducing smoking, tobacco, and alcohol consumption, healthy dietary modifications, regular physical activity, and maintaining body weight.
(iv) Avoiding direct exposure to sunlight (UV) and minimizing exposure to harmful radiation, carcinogens, polluted air, and food.
c. AIDS.
Ans: Individuals can reduce the risk of HIV infection by limiting exposure to risk factors like unsafe sex. Use of condoms during sex, use of only sterile syringes and medical equipment, testing of blood in blood banks, etc. are some measures that can be used to prevent the transmission of AIDS.
7. Explain the importance.
a. Balanced diet.
Ans:
(i) A balanced diet is one that contains low amounts of unnecessary fats and sugars and high levels of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that help maintain or improve overall health.
(ii) A balanced diet can help maintain a healthy weight, provide energy, reduce the risk of serious illnesses, and promote good health.
(iii) Having a balanced diet may reduce the risk of lifestyle-related disorders like hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, etc.
b. Physical exercise / Yogasanas.
Ans:
(i) Regular physical exercise or practicing yogasanas can help reduce mental stress and calm a person. It helps achieve a healthy mind in a healthy body.
(ii) Physical exercise and yogasanas can reduce the risk of illnesses like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease and boost health.
(iii) Controlled breathing exercises and yogasanas reduce the risk of respiratory and circulatory disorders due to an improved supply of oxygen throughout the body.
8. Make a list.
a. Viral diseases.
Ans: HIV/AIDS, Ebola, herpes, influenza, hepatitis, dengue, common cold, rabies, chicken pox, smallpox, polio, measles, mumps, etc.
b. Bacterial diseases.
Ans: Tuberculosis, meningitis, syphilis, cholera, diphtheria, leprosy, typhoid, tetanus, leptospirosis, whooping cough (pertussis), plague, etc.
c. Diseases spread through insects.
Ans: Chikungunya, dengue, yellow fever, Zika, malaria, filariasis, leishmaniasis, rickettsia, sleeping sickness, plague, schistosomiasis, elephantiasis, etc.
d. Hereditary diseases.
Ans: Thalassemia, sickle cell anemia, haemophilia, cystic fibrosis, Tay sachs disease, Fragile X syndrome, Huntington’s disease, heart disease, high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, cancer, obesity, Down’s syndrome, Turner’s syndrome, Klinefelter’s syndrome, colour blindness, muscular dystrophy, etc.
9. Write the information on modern diagnostics and treatments of cancer.
Ans:
(i) Modern diagnostic techniques like CT scans, MRI scans, mammography, and biopsy enable timely detection of cancers.
(ii) Conventional treatment methods like chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery, supplemented with modern techniques like robotic and laparoscopic surgery, give better chances of treating cancer.
10. Enlist the names and composition of the medicines present at your home.
Ans:
